A Dangerous Liaison
by therainbowbandit
Summary: What might have happened if Elena had told Elijah from the start that his mother planned to kill him and his siblings? / Short one-shot centered around Elena and Elijah's relationship during the episodes dealing with Esther's plan.


_**June 30**__**th**___

"Do I have a reason to be worried about my mother?"

Elena felt a million thoughts start to race through her head, mostly of guilt. She felt the sting of her own betrayal towards the vampire with an alarming fierceness. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she considered for a moment her options. She could end it-all of it. All of the bloodshed and tears and heartbreak that had plagued her life even more fervently since the Originals had appeared. She could be rid of Klaus and his malicious tormenting forever. All she had to do was shake her head no. Tell Elijah that he had nothing to worry about, and that his mother was here to make peace. But then, what would that make her?

_Traitor_ her mind roared. She would be a traitor.

Elena wasn't really sure what she was doing when she nodded her head at the original before her. All she knew was that, despite his past transgressions, she couldn't stand the thought of letting him die. He had, on more than one occasion, stuck to his promises. When their situations were reversed and her life had been hanging in the balance, he had found a way out for her, even when he could have left her to her fate. Elijah responded to her answer by raising a brow and inclining his head, letting her know that he would speak with her later to learn all of the details.

She returned her attention to the original witch, who was now standing upon the grandiose staircase making a toast. Her heart was still racing. As Esther exclaimed "Cheers!" everyone went to take a sip from their champagne glasses, and it took all of Elena's self-control to not rip the glass from Elijah's hand and fling it to the ground to shatter into a thousand pieces. Instead she opted to grab his arm in as subtle a movement as possible, enough to make him pause before he took the fatal sip which she knew would bind him to the fate of the rest of his siblings. "Don't." She quipped before he could ask. Smiling, he nodded at her and instead turned to face the ballroom behind them, evading his mother's gaze and dutifully acting as if he were in fact enjoying his champagne.

From the corner of her eye Elena saw the witch nod at her. She pinched her face into a forced smile in return, trying to behave as if she hadn't just betrayed one of the most powerful beings in this house. She continued on with her night, waiting patiently until she could make her escape and be sure to never set foot in the Mikaelson home again.

_**July 1**__**st**___

Elena woke up startled. Something about the peaceful atmosphere of her room felt…. disturbed. The sun's rays were barely lighting her room. From her alarm clock she saw that it was only about 6 in the morning. "Ah!" She let out as she leapt from her bed. In her door stood Elijah, suited and polished. He gave her a sympathetic look. "I apologize for the intrusion Elena, but this is an urgent matter." He said, offering her a smile that was genuinely apologetic and bemused. "Please, get dressed. You and I will be leaving shortly to talk about your answer to my question the other night." When she blinked, he vanished. It took a moment for the fog to clear from her head and she mentally smacked herself. What had she been _thinking_? For a moment, she felt herself reconsidering. Elijah was probably the most moral of his family, certainly, and he didn't deserve to simply die like that, but what of the others? What of Rebekah's tantrums and Klaus's homicidal tendencies? There was still a chance for Esther's plan to come to fruition- all Elena needed to do was lie through her teeth that she had been mistaken. The thought made her shiver. Would he even believe her? Something was bound to give her away. Elena Gilbert had never been a good liar. Too much eye contact or too little, too many details or too few. And of course, there was the pesky issue of her heartbeat, which Elijah would easily hear as it beat rapidly against her ribcage while she lied.

_No_, she resigned. If she had wanted to see this plan through, she shouldn't have said anything at the Ball. There was no turning back from this now. He hadn't drunk the champagne laced with her blood. He was not beholden to the same fate as his family. He would blame her, she realized with a jolt. She could either tell him what was happening, or he would find out when all of his siblings died around him and he was left alone. This went beyond upsetting the balance or whatever it was that Esther had jabbered on about. Elijah was an honorable man when he was treated with honor. If she didn't help him now, and he found out later that she had known what was to happen to his brothers and sister, he would proclaim to be on an honorable quest of revenge. He would go after her and everyone she loved.

_Unless he's daggered_, that pesky voice that reminded her far too much of Katherine whispered. _To what end?_ She snarled back. Something was bound to happen to release him. Some foolish person would stumble upon him and set him free. Or maybe it would be one of her friends, trying to assuage whatever situation they would ultimately land themselves in the future, believing that the Original could be persuaded to help.

_You could throw him into the sea, never to be found again _the Katherine voice responded. It made perfect sense, she thought. No vampire or werewolf or any other being could bring him up when he was hidden away in the depths of the seas, and yet, the thought yanked at her heartstrings. Not much, but enough that she took notice and decided she didn't want to dagger her current- dare she say it? - friend.

She hadn't realized that she had been so focused until a voice, _his_ voice, woke her from her thoughts. "I must warn you Elena, the lovely little place I picked for us to have breakfast at abides by a rather strict dress code. You may want to change out of those." He motioned to her pajamas, an amused smile overtaking his features. She scoffed at him and hopped out of the bed, motioning for him to turn away as she went to put on something more 'presentable'.

When she was done describing to him her interaction with his witch mother, Elijah remained quiet and contemplative. Elena took the silent companionship for what it was and instead opted to finish the delicious breakfast set before her.

"Elena." Elijah began again after several minutes of silence. "Take care of yourself. If my mother were to ever find out what you have done- "

"I know." Elena interrupted with a smirk, unwittingly placing her hand on his arm. "Thank you." She added.

_**July 4**__**th**___

Despite all of the supernatural issues and occurrences, today was a day to celebrate. Caroline had dragged Elena out of bed and proclaimed to her that she will not allow Elena to wallow in pity and regret. Elena was grateful for the distraction, despite her overwhelming guilt. She had yet to tell anyone about what it was she had done. What would they say? Scold her for her compassion. Tell her that yes Elijah may not be the worst original but that he did still have to die.

As she sat watching the fireworks go off in the evening sky, she was brought back to reality by the sound of laughter behind her. Elena turned around, a hint of a smile on her face as she watched her friends drink and gawk at the fireworks show. Both Damon and Stefan had decided to leave the high schoolers alone for the night. Tonight, she could rest from the whole vampire business. Bonnie and Caroline were both excitedly chatting about the beginning of their senior year, which was fast approaching. Matt laid a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "You okay Elena?" he asked, worry marring his pretty features. "Yeah I'm fine." She replied, "I just need to get some air..." she added, bouncing to her feet and heading off to the shaded buildings in the near distance. The guilt was consuming her alive.

She wasn't sure what she would do or who she would tell of her deeds. Perhaps Caroline would understand, or maybe Bonnie. Her witchy friend had always put her up in a pedestal, never allowing her harm if she could help it.

A hand tapped her shoulder, and she turned around to find no one. Quickly she began to panic. She knew that game. Other vampires had played it with her before. Mustering up all of the courage she could, Elena planted her feet onto the ground and crossed her arms. "Whoever you are, stop with the games." Her voice came out more confidently than she felt. "Very well." Another voice to her left quipped back. It was unfamiliar, though she was sure she had heard it at some point. Turning around, she spotted Finn. Her heart sank.

"Mother says hello Elena." He said, taking steps towards her in a manner she knew all to well. Predatory, and she was his prey. "Tell her I said hello back" She responded, taking several steps back. Finn chuckled, the sound sending shivers of terror down Elena's back. "I will." He told her before grabbing her arms and swiftly placing plenty of distance between them and the ongoing festivities.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked as he pushed her up against a wall, his hand squeezing taught at her throat. "No one around. No one to hear you scream." He answered, lifting her so easily from the ground. "I didn't do anything!" She managed to say through the pain.

At that, Finn laughed. "No?" He asked. "Then why is Elijah off consulting other witches for help in bringing down our mother? Why has Klaus, desperate for her attention and approval, pulled away so suddenly as if he knew what she's up to? Why has Rebekah refused to sit and speak with her for more than a few moments, as if she no longer wants to be with her mother?" He snarled out, the hand around her throat beginning to inflict true pain.

"That's enough brother."

The hand at her throat disappeared, and so had Finn. In his place now stood Elijah, who looked troubled to see her in such pain. "My apologies Elena, my mother seems to have figured out that you aided me." He said, lending her his arm to steady herself as she continued coughing and gasping for breath. "You are no longer safe in this town. Finn will come after you again, and should he fail I fear my mother will finish the job."

"What are you saying?" She asked.

"I'm saying, you need to leave town." Before she could protest, he shushed her with a finger on her lips. "I've made arrangements for such circumstances. Some witches that I've seen have spelled one of my warehouses. No supernatural being may enter."

"But I'm a supernatural being." She said, still a little dizzy from her time without air.

"Excluding doppelgangers." He responded.

"I can't." She let out once she fully comprehended his meaning. "I can't just leave- Jeremy's here, my friends. Stefan and Damon- won't Esther just go after them when she can't find me?" She asked, clinging even more tightly to his arm. "Your brother will join you in seclusion. As for your friends … they know well enough how to take care of themselves. Besides, my mother wants to punish you for helping me. She has no real interest in your friends so long as they stay out of her plans."

After much debate between her friends and Damon and Stefan, it was decided that Elena disappearing for a few days until Esther was dealt with would not be a bad idea.

_**July 10**__**th**___

It had been days since Elena had heard anything about what had become of her friends and the Originals. Jeremy had refused to come with her, instead staying with Bonnie in the old witch house.

A broken piece of wood roared past her, just barely missing her head. Elena looked to find Finn with a vicious look on his face. "You," He stated, pointing at her with all the hatred of an original. "You have ruined my redemption." He stated, taking yet another broken piece of wood and flinging it at her. Elena barely had time to dodge the threat. "You have taken away my one chance at ending this." He continued.

Another piece of wood, this time it grazed her left arm. Elena's right hand instinctively went to clutch at the wound, which was now an ugly red mark, ready to bear forth her blood.

"She was going to kill them all!" Elena finally responded. "I mean, sure, Klaus being gone would be great. But your mother wanted you all dead. You, Rebekah, Kol, _Elijah_." Finn let out a broken laugh at that. "Don't you think I know that?" He asked, sneering down at her from the door.

"It would have been over!" he screeched, the only thing keeping him from tearing her apart being the fact that he hadn't been invited in. Elena stumbled back, terrified by the hysterical brother.

"We can do this one of two ways, Elena." Finn told her, maliciously pacing in front of the warehouse door. "Either you come out here and I end this now, or you sit and wait in that little safehouse. We'll see how safe it is when I burn it down."

Elena moved herself even further away from the door. Someone had to stop him, and she knew of only one other original who would be willing to help her in her current predicament. The text message she sent was brief but urgent. If he didn't make it to the safehouse in the next few minutes, Elena had no doubt that she would roast alive inside of it.

The sound of something crashing to the ground outside drew her attention back to Finn. In his hands he carried two large cans of gasoline. "Still want to stay in there?" He asked her. Elena didn't move. Instead, she looked away from her attacked and around the warehouse. While she had been staying here for a few days, she was almost certain that there was no real way out save for the door currently blocked by a psychotic original.

The only other plausible escape route was through the second story window. She felt the slickness of the oil on her back and turned for a moment to watch as Finn continued to throw about the gasoline, soaking every surface he could from his perch at the door.

She didn't have much time to debate the safety of her course of action. When the last drop of oil splattered against the floor, Finn didn't hesitate to light a match and throw it into the warehouse. Elena watched with horror for a moment as the path leading to the door rose up in raging flames, making their way towards her.

She scrambled back and away from the merciless heat, instead heading in the direction of the stairs. After only about two minutes, the entire lower floor was engulfed by flames. The smoke in the air made every breath she took a strained struggle for her survival. Who was to say that Finn wouldn't be waiting for her on the ground if she managed to make it down?

Still, she had to try. The roaring flames below weren't exactly going to be kind to her if she stayed inside.

Steeling herself into a calm façade, she used a nearby chair to break the glass. The fit would be difficult, and she was certain she would gain a multitude of cuts, but Elena grabbed at the window regardless. "Here goes." She told herself, using all of her strength to push herself through and attempted to ignore the stinging she felt on her palms as the glass cut through.

The fall would probably result in some twisted and throbbing limbs at best, or broken bones and her death at worst.

The impact she braced for however, never came. She still felt the sting of the glass cuts, but nothing else seemed to be wrong with her. Elena coughed into her sleeve and opened her eyes to find the reason why she wasn't a twisted mess on the ground.

"Elijah, you came!" She exclaimed, overjoyed at his presence. He put her down from his hold and gave her a knowing smile. Grasping her hands, he examined her wounds. "Are you in pain?" He asked. "It stings, but I think I can manage." She told him. With renewed fear, Elena whipped around to witness as the house collapsed from the heat. "Finn he- "

"You need not worry about my brother. He has been…taken care of." Elijah told her, instead opting to turn her back around to face him. "Thank you." She let out. Elijah arched an eyebrow at her. "You do not need to thank me." He told her. "On the contrary, I think it is I who owes you both an apology and my gratitude. I don't know what would have become of me and my siblings had you chosen not to share the truth. Thank you, Elena." He murmured quietly, taking her hands and placing a gentle kiss on each. The gesture made her stomach twirl.

After one last look at the warehouse, Elijah swiftly took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Elena. "Shall we?" He said, leading her to his car.

Despite the horror she had endured only moments before, Elena felt herself smile.


End file.
